I'm strange lol, I get at least 10-13 hrs of sleep, but it takes forever for me to get to sleep (1-1.5 hrs). Its like, when I get up, I'm more tired than when I went to sleep in the first place... So, I might have something similar to you?

Could be birth control pills interacting with either your thyroid or your brain chemicals. Although if it was thyroid I would think you'd be adding weight rapidly.

Two separate sets of glands... the thyroid, and the parathyroid...
hyperthyroidism --- hypothyroidism
hyperparathyroidism --- hypoparathyroidism

Assuming our subject is a female between the ages of... say... 32 to... early fifties, max.... the parathyroids are the most likely target if we're talking about the thyroid glands.... because under a good many circumstances, your body is quite frankly more likely to consume the parathyroid glands than any other organ or tissue...

That said, the literature for said condition - hypoparathyroidism... is rather boring... and the symptom list is hardly narrowing....

Wait until within two hours from the time which your normally go to bed. (Normally go to bed at ten? Start our little experiment no sooner than eight.) Spend five minutes studying the list any way you like... (Just read it quietly, read it out loud, drill yourself on it... whatever) Wait half an hour/twenty minutes/whatever... Try reciting your list backwards. Just for giggles.

When you wake up... ... grab a pen and paper. Try writing down as many words from your list as possible... it doesn't matter the order... top to bottom, bottom to top, alphabetical... just as the words come to you... write them down.

If you get less than... five words... either you weren't trying very hard... or you aren't hitting the memory consolidation phase of sleep... which means you aren't hitting REM sleep... which means there's something wrong.

That "something wrong" could be anything:

*a bad mattress
* forum members turning you into a hypochondriac
* mental things... (worrying about kids/fighting with hubby/whatever)
* malnutrition (are you a crash dieter?)
* insert every other possible combination here...

I'd say talk to a doctor about it... but given that you don't want to do this (it being a money issue).... then try our little experiment. If you fail horribly... try looking into a substance called ZMA.

In the summer, it is difficult to ride earlier because it is so hot out. I try to time my ride to finish right around sunset (which is getting earlier). Otherwise the heat is unbearable and I end up needing more water than I can carry with me, not to mention the extreme heat makes it very difficult to do a good ride. The other reason I ride at night is to avoid getting sunburned. No sunscreen I have ever used has been able to last through an entire ride. I sweat it right off in the first 20 minutes. I also have to avoid rush hour. Come autumn, I could probably ride earlier in the day, once temperatures have cooled off, but that may be another couple months. I have tried riding in the mornings, but I can barely drag myself out of bed and when I get back, I end up sleeping the rest of the day.

I hadn't considered that. I know several people who have thyroid problems and a few of them have suggested in the past that I get mine checked. What are some other common symptoms of a thyroid problem that maybe I ought to look for?

I am not taking any medications that would cause this problem. Afaik, I don't have high blood sugar.

I never eat fast food. My diet is very low-fat and heavy on the carbs (since I ride mainly in the carb-burning zone) with moderate amounts of protein. I eat lots of fortified cereals, fruits, dairy products, breads, and pastas. I don't really eat any meat, though, because it tends to make me very sick to my stomach.

I don't know any diabetics or what my glucose level is, but I think it would be really unusual for me to have diabetes. I'm only 23 and in very good shape and I don't eat a lot of bad foods. And I wouldn't say I'm excessively thirsty. I just drink a lot of water to stay hydrated on my ride (I have "checkpoints" where I drink something even if I am not thirsty- being dehydrated decreases efficiency by up to 20%) and when I get home, I will have a glass of water because by then I am usually thirsty. Other than that, I don't drink much.

Did I miss anybody?

I see a natural health dr. on a regular basis and although everyone is different in what they require I think he would say that you consume too many grains and not enough protein. Try eating more vegetables and less fruit.

You may have hyperglycemia. Symptoms include feeling tired, frequent urination, blurred vision, extreme thirst. If you do, your high carb diet could be worsening the problem.

I looked this up on Wikipedia and I do have a fair number of the symptoms listed, but I don't know how many of them could be attributable to hyperglycemia or something else. For example, I do drink a lot of water, but anyone who exercises a lot will have to consume a lot of water to stay hydrated. When I'm not exercising, often times I am spending the day practicing my singing, in which case, I have to sip water periodically so that my vocal cords don't get all scratchy. And if one is drinking a lot of water, frequently using the bathroom seems like something that would logically follow. I also see that hyperglycemia is related to diabetes, which I am probably unlikely to have.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norwegian14Beauty

If I were you, I would make an appointment with my physician so that he/she is able to find out why you are experiencing these symptoms and, if possible, deal with them in the appropriate medical course of action. Of course, like others have said, it could be one of many things that is causing these symptoms.

If the problems continue, I will most likely bring it up with my doctor. However, I won't be able to see my doctor until early next year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawthorn

A long time ago I read an article about this, and it said the most overlooked causes were:

1. Feeling depressed, or not having a positive/optimistic view on day-to-day life.
2. Not enough aerobic exercise.
3. Too much sugar in the diet.

I definitely get enough exercise. I have struggled with depression, but if I exercise, it tends to keep the symptoms under control so that I can get through the day. The sugar thing... I don't know. I don't eat a lot of sweets, but I guess most carbs technically count as sugars.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuffScotsman

Could be birth control pills interacting with either your thyroid or your brain chemicals. Although if it was thyroid I would think you'd be adding weight rapidly.

The birth control I use is the same thing I have been using for the last four years. I have previously gone through periods where I slept excessively or couldn't sleep at all, but they are few and far between, not long-lasting, and don't seem to be in any way related to the schedule on which I take my pills.

As for the thyroid, I would also think I would have a weight problem. A friend of mine told me that a significant number of women have thyroid problems that are undiagnosed and suggested I might have a slight thyroid problem, but she seemed to think I should be having weight problems, also. My weight stays pretty steady, right around 135 lbs. Now, I am pretty much always hungry, but I know better than to be constantly eating. I have never undergone any rapid weight gain or weight loss.

Quote:

Originally Posted by plan19

Assuming our subject is a female between the ages of... say... 32 to... early fifties, max.... the parathyroids are the most likely target if we're talking about the thyroid glands.... because under a good many circumstances, your body is quite frankly more likely to consume the parathyroid glands than any other organ or tissue...

I am female, age 23.

As for the list of symptoms, probably headaches are the only thing I have frequently.

I also have not had any memory problems (no difficulty remembering words from lists, for example), I have a new mattress, not too much stress, and I don't crash diet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jt3545th

I think he would say that you consume too many grains and not enough protein. Try eating more vegetables and less fruit.

Getting a lot of protein is difficult because eating meat makes me very ill. I usually have to stick to dairy products, which are fattening, or protein-fortified sports food, which is expensive and tastes bad. I once tried to be on a higher protein diet a few months ago and I found it too difficult to keep up with it. I also don't like most vegetables, which is why I eat fruit instead. However, when summer is over, I usually have a hard time finding fruit I like, too. I have always had a high carb, low fat diet and don't usually suffer from excessive sleepiness.

Most or all of the conditions listed by all of us here are linked to poor nutrition.
The only way to fix it is by getting what the body needs to function and heal itself. Our bodies don't fall apart overnight, it takes time, maybe years.
Grains that you eat, cereal, bread, pasta, they convert to sugar easily. Fruit is loaded with sugar. Sugar is poison to our bodies in excess.
Eggs are a good source of protein. This is for your consideration only, I'm not trying to tell you how to eat. I know its not easy to change the way one eats.